Knockdown hogshead for tobacco



y 1951 v H. G. BELL 2,554,357

KNOCKDOWN HOGSHEAD FOR TOBACCO Filed Sept. 27; 1945 INVEN TOR.

hany GBe/Z BY 75%"5 6%!6 0644444 ATTORNE S.

Patented May 22, 1951 KNOCKDOWN HOGSHEAD FOR TOBACCO Harry Guthrie Bell, Paris, Ky., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Gay-Bell Corporation, Ky., a corporationof Kentucky Paris,

Application September 27, 1945, Serial No. 618,940

This invention relates to knock-down barrels and my present invention has for its object to provide a structure which lends itself to the fabricating of tobacco hogsheads which are so constructed that when it has served its purpose for the shipping and storage of tobacco the heads may be removed and the body taken apart to enable said parts to be shipped in a collapsed condition for subsequent reassembly and future use.

I Another object of my invention is to provide a barrel in which the staves are reinforced at their ends, said reinforcement comprising means for cooperation with the barrel heads which permit their ready insertion and holds them securely in plac'e'against the internal pressure exerted upon them.

To these and other ends my invention comprehends further improvements, all as will be fully described in the accompanying specification, the

I novel features thereof being set forthin the appended claims.

" In the drawings:

' Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hogshead illustrating one embodiment of my invention.

ment applied over the end of staves.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view of an end hoop as first formed before the spring fingers are formed over the ends of the staves.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate similar parts.

My invention provides a prefabricated barrel which is admirably adapted to be made in the size and form required for the hogsheads used in packing for shipment of tobacco in its various forms and also for its storage during the aging process to which the tobacco is subjected. To these ends I construct the body of the barrel or hogshead in two half sections, using suitable detachable connections whereby they may be separated thus enabling them to be flattened when not in use. The heads are made as separate elements and means are provided on the body and heads enabling the latter to be readily applied.

In carrying out my invention I construct the body of the barrel of a plurality of staves a, the number of which depend upon the intended circumferential size of the container which together with their length determine its ultimate 6 Claims. (cram-44) Figure 7 is a modification showing a reinforce capacity; Tobacco hogsheads are designed to hold approximately 1000 pounds of tobacco and usually require 80 staves slightly less than 5 inches in width and of a standard length of 54 inches, They are bound together with hoops b and c at theirends and intermediate hoops d, e, j, which are riveted to them, as will be understood. Instead of making these several hoops continuous I divide each of them into half sections. The dividing points or parting lines'of the severalhoops are inalinement at the two sides of the body of the barrel. At one side of the body the proximate ends of the sections of each hoop are connected by hinge members 9 and h (see Fig. 3) which are connected by pintles i which may either be loose enough for withdrawal, or permanently secured as the purpose of the hinges is to allow the barrel sections to be flattened separately or to be folded back, one upon the other and then flattened. The opposite or free ends of the hoops are respectively provided with cooperating latch members for locking them together. A suitable form of connection is shown in Fig. 2 comprising a pivoted bail 7' pivoted to a strap in and operated by a throw cam-lever Z, all mounted on the end of one hoop section, said bail being designed to engage over a snubbing projection m on a strap 11 attached to the corre sponding end of the other hoop section.

In barrels of this character the ends of the staves forming the chime often suffer damage in handling due to the weight of a loaded barrel, as for instance in upending the barrel, or from collision with objects when the barrel is being rolled from place to place. In order to protect the ends of the staves I plan to cover or enclose them.

- p, as shown in Fig. 7. 1

One of the important features of my invention comprises the assembly of elements I have provided whereby a barrel head may be inserted and secured after the hogshead has been filled, without the use of nails or other means which injure the ends of the staves.

With these objects in mind I wish to state generally that I arrange on the ends of the staves a plurality of inwardly extending spring, fingers which serve to guide the head as it is pushed inwardly into the barrel and which serve to lock shaped guide which serves to center the circular barrel head s when it is first applied.

The barrel head is cut in circular form with a diameter that will pass the spring fingers when it is pressed inwardly and will neatly fit within the inner circumference of the barrel. The perimeter of the head is protected by a metal binding shaped as shown in Fig. 6 to provide a narrow rim on the inner face, and a wider rim on the outer face, from which there extends a flange t. In forming this binding strip the flange t has its upper end turned over in the form of 'a bead c which forms the dual purpose of stiffening the flange and providing it with a smooth edge as well as to provide a shoulder which prevents the spring fingers from being pried outwardly in an attempt to loosen the barrel head.

In operation it is only necessary to employ one of the barrel heads provided with the peripheral binding having the outwardly extending circular flange t as the other barrel head may be merely cut in circular form to fit the inner circumference of thebody of the barrel as either form of head will act to round out the body of the barrel when its sections are joined together.

The. contents of the barrel being supplied, and if the same is tobacco, it will be hydraulically compressed to a point sufficiently to enable the top head to be forced downwardly to enable the spring clips q to pass over the edge of the head and engage the flange t thereon.

The various features described are applicable either to barrels in which the staves and head are made of plain sawn boards or of the more expensive plywood and in the case of either of these materials a structure is provided which is simple in its original construction and subsequent operation. Barrels thus constructed may be disassembled when their function of shipment or storage is ended and readily packed in small compass forreturn to the place of purchase. It will also be observed that a great saving is effected in this manner of constructing barrels as it readily lends itself to the interchangeability of parts and the repair, if necessary, of individual parts.

I claim: 1. In a tobacco hogshead, the combination with a body composed of staves and hoops uniting them, of hoops connected .to the outer faces of staves and having free tapered portions each of stave width extending over the ends of the staves and projecting inwardly and downwardly therefrom, a barrel head fitting within the body and an upstanding ring on the outer face of the head within the periphery of said projections against which said projections engage to prevent their displacement and lock the head within the body.

2. 121 ja tobacco hogshead, the combination withan open ended cylindrical body composed of staves, hoops uniting them, and spring metal fingers on the hoops extending over the ends of the "staves having free ends forming spring abutments extending inwardly and downwardly from the ends of the staves, of a circular barrel head fitting/the body, a channel member forming a binding for the periphery of the head having a flange extending outwardly and located inwardly .from the periphery of the head and cooperating 4 with the ends of the abutments for limiting the inward springing movement of said abutments and locking the head within the hogshead.

3. In a knockdown barrel body composed of a series of staves assembled in a fiat position comprising a combined hoop and reinforcing strip extending over the ends of the staves and consisting of a metal strip having an outer continuous side forming a hoop having a top portion provided with slits spaced apart the width of the staves, and an inner side divided into a series of leaves forming inwardly extending shoulders tapered on their lateral edges sufficiently to form a substantially continuous inner annulus when the hoop andstaves are bent into a circular form, and a head engaging the annulus. I

. 4. In a knockdown hogshead, aligned staves adapted to form a cylindrical body, external metal hoop members fastened to the staves and having at their ends separable interconnecting fasteners whereby ends of respective hoops may be interconnected'to maintainv said cylindrical body, an end one of said external metal hoop members having extensions, each extension being substantially of stave width, and there being an extension for each stave in said body, said extensions each having a portion extending across and around the end of its stave and another portion extending inwardly of the stave end on the side opposite said hoop member, said last mentioned portion having a part extending slantwise inwardly away from said stave end, to form a substantially continuous inner annulus when the hoop and stavesare bent into a circular form.

5. In a tobacco hogshead formed of separate staves held together as a unit, a hoop and head abutment comprising a strip connected to the outer faces of staves near the ends thereofand having integral extending tongues of stave width extending over the end of each stave and projecting downwardly and inwardly therefrom to form' a head abutment;

6. The combination with a barrel body composed of staves and inwardly extending head retaming shoulders on the inner faces of the ends of the staves of a circular barrel head engageable beneath said shoulders, U-shaped channel piece formed on the radius of the head having parallel wings embracing the marginal faces of the head and a connecting'portion enclosing and in .contact with its periphery, fastening devices Passing through said wings and head and a flange on the wing on the outer face of the head positioned to stand in front of the shoulders on the .Staves.

HARRY .GUTHBIE BELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA ENTS Number Name Date 312,475 Knapp Feb. .17, 1885 353,198 Brake Nov. 23, 1886 824,899 Alger Jilly 3 v1906 1,582,489 Snell Apr, 27, 1926 1,761,603 Wainwright June ,3 1.930 2,052,489 Purdy g Aug.., 25, 1936 2,470,459 Bell F May 17,1950 

